Grenade found in Ewha Womans University

A grenade presumed to be from the Korean War was found on a university campus in Seoul, police officials said Sunday.

The explosive was found Friday afternoon in one of the flowerbeds at Ewha Womans University, in Sinchon, central Seoul, by a member of the cleaning staff. It did not have a safety pin in it.

Police, who arrived on the scene with a bomb squad, determined that it had been deactivated.

According to the officers who investigated the explosive, it is unlikely the grenade was buried intentionally as an act of terrorism. Rather, it appears to be an old grenade used by the U.S. military during the Korean War.

“The grenade used during the Korean War appears to be washed away in rain from where it was,” said a police official. “During the war, many U.S. soldiers used to stay in the area near the school as it was the field of a fierce battle against North Korea.”

The news that a grenade was found in a college campus spread quickly on Twitter and online portals, surprising many and causing concerns for some on Friday.

After torrential rains and landslides which caused more than 60 deaths last week, the South Korean military ordered a search of possible landmines and other ammunition that could have been washed into populated areas.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)